A Casa with Franco Nuschese

So how does the 45-year-old bachelor make himself feel special? “Staying home,” he says. “I like to be able to recharge my batteries, to have a massage or listen to music. I don’t need to go anywhere on my days off.” A recent tour of his spacious stone house near Rock Creek Park makes it clear why Nuschese prefers to cocoon rather than to travel.

Sited on 3.5 acres with lush gardens and a swimming pool, the 1904 home feels like a villa in the Tuscan countryside. “It’s in the middle of Washington but it doesn’t feel like Washington,” he says. That is, until you look out the window where views of the U.S. Capitol and other familiar landmarks on the skyline are clearly visible in the distance.